The Patriots will be playing on a new surface when they next take the field at Gillette Stadium.
The team said it had made the move to the most “technologically advanced FieldTurf surface” when it was installed in May of this year, but they’ve decided to tear it out and make a change after two preseason games and last Thursday’s loss to the Chiefs. Mike Reiss reports that the change is being made because the playing surface is “not meeting team standards.”
The specific places where the turf is falling short is not clear, although Reiss reports some players have said the surface was “especially soft.” Interestingly, the team touted that very feature — it “plays soft, feels real, looks great and hangs tough” — when it announced the installation of the surface this year.
The Patriots will next be at home for a September 24 game against the Texans while the New England Revolution of the MLS, which also calls the stadium home, will play a game the day before.